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Heurelho Gomes heroics deny brave Sunderland

Tottenham 2 Sunderland 0

John Aizlewood at White Hart Lane

November 8 2009, 1:00am, The Sunday Times

They say the table doesn't lie. Sometimes, though, it can be economical with the truth. Three points here and events at the City of Manchester stadium combined to return Tottenham to fourth place this morning, but for all the perfunctory-sounding nature of a 2-0 home victory, only the bravura brilliance of goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, who saved both a penalty and his team's bacon, prevented a third successive Premier League defeat.

If last Saturday's Emirates fiasco and Stoke's purloining of three points the week before painted a picture not entirely indicative of Tottenham's myriad strengths, yesterday's scoreline and the Gomes heroics hid a multitude of sins. Indeed, Sunderland were left wondering how they could control almost everything and leave with precisely nothing.